Azure Cloud Architect

Title: Azure Cloud Architect

Location: Boston, MA or NYC, NY (onsite is preferred, but for the ideal candidate remote is ok as they can work EST)(EST candidates only)

Duration: 6+ months contract

IV: Phone and Video

Note: Interviewer- Indian

Need LinkedIn with profile pic and it should match resume title

JOB DESCRIPTION
Azure Cloud Architect
We are looking for a seasoned Azure Cloud Architect with hands-on development experience to lead cloud infrastructure strategy, design, and delivery. The ideal candidate brings deep Azure expertise, strong architectural thinking, and the ability to implement enterprise-grade solutions using Infrastructure as Code and modern DevOps practices.

ROLE OVERVIEW
Role: Azure Cloud Architect
Experience: 8+ Years in Cloud Architecture (Azure preferred)
Client Domain: Financial Services

CORE TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
The following skills are essential for this role. Candidates must demonstrate strong proficiency across these areas:
Infrastructure & Automation
▸ Infrastructure as Code (IaC) — Terraform (primary and non-negotiable) 
▸ CI/CD pipeline automation: Bitbucket, Jenkins, XLR, AWS CodePipeline, GitHub Actions
Azure Architecture
▸ Strong Azure architecture experience: compute, storage, networking, and platform services
▸ Enterprise-scale Azure landing zones: management groups, subscriptions, and governance models
▸ Compute platforms: Azure VMs, App Services, Azure Functions, AKS (architecture-level understanding)
Identity & Security
▸ Identity & access management using Entra ID (Azure AD), RBAC, PIM, and managed identities
▸ Security architecture: Zero Trust principles, Azure Defender, and secure baseline controls
▸ Secrets & encryption: Azure Key Vault, certificate and key lifecycle management
▸ Policy & compliance: Azure Policy, initiatives, and governance enforcement at scale
Networking
▸ Azure networking (hands-on): hub-spoke VNETs, subnets, NSGs, UDRs, and routing
▸ Private connectivity: Private Endpoints, Azure DNS (public/private), name resolution patterns
Observability & Resilience
▸ Observability & operations: Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, alerting and diagnostics
▸ High availability & DR design: availability zones, regional failover, and backup strategies

DATABASE EXPERIENCE
Candidates should have experience with one or more cloud database platforms:
▸ PostgreSQL (preferred) — managed cloud PostgreSQL (Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server)  
▸ Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, or equivalent cloud-native database services
▸ Database security, encryption at rest/transit, and backup/restore strategies
▸ Performance tuning and query optimization on cloud database platforms

GOOD TO HAVE
The following are not mandatory but will strengthen a candidate''s profile:
▸ Experience migrating on-premises or AWS/Google Cloud Platform workloads to Azure cloud  ✓ Good to have
▸ Familiarity with Azure Migrate, Azure Site Recovery, or lift-and-shift patterns  ✓ Good to have
▸ Knowledge of FinOps practices and Azure Cost Management  ✓ Good to have
▸ Exposure to containerization strategies and AKS production operations  ✓ Good to have
▸ Experience working in regulated financial services environments  ✓ Good to have

ARCHITECT PROFILE & SOFT SKILLS
▸ Ability to own end-to-end architecture: from whiteboard design to hands-on implementation
▸ Strong communication skills — able to articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
▸ Collaborative mindset with experience working across engineering, security, and compliance teams
▸ Comfortable working in fast-paced, client-facing delivery environments
▸ Hands-on coder: does not just design, but actively builds and validates solutions